By Funmi Komolafe

Waiting on God for  babies isn’t like a tea party.   It comes with a number   of challenges, but one must not allow the challenges to overshadow the focus.

It does not mean that the woman should begin to look older than her age as most women tend to do.

Rather, you need to radiate joy to attract joy unspeakable, apologies to Pastor Enoch Adeboye of   the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

In the same vein, one must set a limit for oneself. While adoption of babies is legal and an acceptable way of raising children, purchase of children     delivered by single   ladies desperately looking for ways of making money is not only illegal, it is sinful.   When the long hand of the law catches up with the ladies and their agents, their clients too will face the full weight of the law.

My humble advice is, if you must adopt,   the couple must agree and go through the process handled by government agencies.

Having said that, the aim of today’s article is to assure that God is never late.

I will like to share, with our readers,   the experience of some couples   who gave testimonies at Laughter Foundation Ministry.

For obvious reasons, I will like to conceal their identities, but     these are real stories and, once we get permission, we should be able to show photographs of   couples  who have broken through.

Couple A

They got married in 1984 – As usual with most couples, after a few years of waiting, they began to visit hospitals. According to Mrs  A, she was diagnosed of fibroid and had it operated in 1990, yet she didn’t get pregnant.   She was then told  to do HSG which revealed that one tube was blocked while the other was not seen. Her doctor recommended another surgery but her husband bluntly refused.

So they kept on waiting until, according to them, they got introduced to Laughter Foundation.

Mrs. A said there, they got more serious with prayers and, suddenly, she became pregnant and had her baby girl after 31 years   of marriage.  The baby was named “ Oluwajomiloju” (meaning, for me, God   is awesome) .

Twins after 19 years of  waiting … for doctor and Mrs. B.

They got married on December 14,1996. Like     the first couple, they too visited a number of hospitals during which they were told doctor had NO SPERM COUNT. Please note, not low but NO.

Madam was diagnosed of hormonal imbalance.  Having been diagnosed and treated with no   conception,she turned to God.

Suddenly, her feet became swollen   but she continued to menstruate.  So, doctors   said it must be arthritis and she was treated.

Now , this continued for seven months until January 2015when her husband told her to try pregnancy test.     Their joy knew no bounds when she was confirmed pregnant. This was followed with a scan   which revealed she was seven months pregnant.

What surprised even the doctors was that, notwithstanding the treatment for arthritis, the babies remained intact and she     gave birth to a set of twins (a boy and a   girl)   and was delivered of the babies without stress.

Do you still     marvel at the Lord’s doing?  Then wait for this.

Couple C.

Husband lived in the United States and the wife in Nigeria.   Before you blame it on distance,   hold your breathe.

The search for the fruit of the womb led the couple to     a number of hospitals   during which Madam went through surgery.   This was here in Nigeria. Somehow, some     items were forgotten inside her.

This was unknown to the couple until she began to experience excruciating pains. Consequently, she and her husband saw doctors in the United States, the United Kingdom and India.

According to the couple, one of the doctors found     that the womb had stuck together and could not open.  Which means   no conception could take place.

Another doctor simply told her that in his 47 years of medical practice, he had never seen any womb so scarred. He told the husband, “This womb is so scarred, it cannot carry a lizard not to talk of a baby”.

In the United States, they were seen by a team of12 doctors, who simply told the woman they would have to close her medical file which meant hope was lost completely.

The husband said, “I told my wife, `I am sorry, I failed you but I will make you happy’.

“It is bad when people lose faith in you, but it is worse when you lose faith in yourself”.

The couple said the challenge of delayed child bearing made the wife to study nursing in the United States, yet nothing happened.

Then, a journalist friend ( names withheld) visited   their homes in   Lagos and the United States and found no children.   Hence he invited them to   Laughter Foundation.

There they remained focused and steadfast in prayer and God visited them and the womb that doctors said could not carry a lizard produced a set of twins ( a boy and a girl).

Now, what is unique about this couple is that theirs is inter-ethnic marriage.   The husband isYoruba and the wife, Igbo. So, one can imagine the social pressure they must have experienced.

Despite medical reports and the   huge financial expenses, they stuck together. What are the lessons to be drawn from the experience of these couples.

First, one’s faith in God must be total. Second, you must believe that, with God, all things are possible.   Don’t be discouraged  by anyone’s report.

Or, how do we explain how one, who was being treated for arthritis, became a mother to the surprise of her doctors.

The case of Couple C should   strengthen   our faith that   no one should be written off.

Also, we should note   the total support and commitment of the men to the   search for solution to their childlessness.

Today, those who have been written off have joyful homes. Are you waiting? Your joy is on the way.